


Naming Conventions

by SGSKHKT



Series: Of Wrens And Kestrels [2]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Racetrack Higgins: Cockblocker Supreme, gay as fuck, technically beta'd, this is just really fucking gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25677481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SGSKHKT/pseuds/SGSKHKT
Summary: Brooklyn was weird.And David said that as a Brooklyn newsie.
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sorta Implied Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Series: Of Wrens And Kestrels [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861198
Comments: 5
Kudos: 58





	Naming Conventions

Brooklyn was weird.

And David said that as a Brooklyn newsie.

For example, their nicknaming system.

It wasn't uncommon for newsies to go by nicknames. Hell, practically all of the newsies David knew went by nicknames. Some even had multiple nicknames. (David is pretty sure he heard someone call Blink _Blind Diamond_ once.)

It was just that Brooklyn had another layer to it.

Because you had the nicknames other boroughs used like _Spot_ or _Mouth_.

But then you had the nicknames _Brooklyn_ used.

 _Kestrel_. _Wren_.

The names had a lot more thought put into them than the standard newsies nickname. (David remembers biting back a sarcastic "Shocker." when being introduced to Crutchie.)

He was _Wren_ because of their loud songs, yes, but he was also Wren because they were as inconspicuous as he was. Despite his deadly aim.

Spot was _Kestrel_ because he was small, yes, but a bird of prey nonetheless. Deadly and quick, with sharp beaks and sharper words.

Les was _Sparrow_. David told him it was because he was small. It was not. Sparrows signalled the start of spring. The start of new beginnings. Les was one of the younger newsies. He was the new generation. The new beginning.

Spot called him a sap after he explained it.

Brooklyn nicknames were largely unnecessary since people from the other boroughs would call you by your regular nickname regardless.

But they were a sign of _Brooklyn_.

They were formality's sake, yes, but it was something that showed that you were one of the Brooklyn newsies.

It had been Spot's idea. To have something that had the Brooklyn newsies have something that tied all of them together. All of the thousands of them that spanned from Sheepshead to the Navy Yard pier.

He called Spot a sap after that and it earned him a smack to the back of his head.

It was a name to show familiarity in Brooklyn but formality in other boroughs.

The formality order was unofficial but simple.

Using himself as an example, it went:

Wren > Jacobs > Mouth > David

Jack Kelly apparently did not understand formality because he called him " _Davey_ " the moment they met.

_"This is David. Or Mouth. He's gonna be workin' in 'hattan for now since Racer decided to cozy in Sheepshead. Got it?" Spot had asked, well, threatened._

_Jack merely grinned and slung his arm around David's shoulders._

_"Crystal clear, Conlon. C'mon Davey, let's go."_

David supposed it worked out, considering the fact that he was currently sprawling in a theatre at the Bowery with his head on Jack’s lap while Jack ran his fingers through his hair.

And _fuck_ , it felt _so_ good.

He glanced up slightly, watching as Jack sketched a bird, a _wren,_ on a scrap piece of paper, constantly referencing the encyclopedia David had brought.

He didn't know how Jack managed to draw so well in the dim lighting of the theatre but he did.

He hummed happily and heard Jack's low chuckle.

"You's enjoyin’ yourself, Davey?"

 _Fuck_ , he loved hearing his nickname in Jack's accent.

It was so _him._

Not the loud-mouthed newsie that couldn't shut up, _Mouth._

Not the Second of the King of Brooklyn, _Wren._

Not even the kid who aced all of his tests but couldn't talk to another student without getting made fun of, _David_ or _Jacobs._

Just _Davey._

Granted, basically all the newsies had the same accent so the accent thing wasn't that strong of a point.

But it was _Jack_.

And Jack was different.

“Love ya, Jackie,” he mumbled, his accent slipping out, and Jack’s fingers stilled.

Then he grinned and leaned down, catching David's lips in a kiss. 

David made a small noise of surprise before propping himself up on his elbows.

His hands found their way into Jack's hair as he pressed himself closer until all he could smell was the faint scent of newspapers, smoke and alcohol.

He knows he would have recoiled from the scent before but now it was so quintessentially _Jack_ that he couldn't even imagine hating it.

His head spun.

He didn't know if he was more intoxicated by the smell of the alcohol or the feeling of Jack's lips against his.

He wished he didn't have to breathe so he could stay in the moment foreve-

"Oh jeez, get a room!"

He was on the hardwood floor in a second.

He reached instinctively for his slingshot, only stopping when he realised his slingshot was in his bag, not on his belt and that Race was the one that had spoke.

"Jeez, Racer, ain't ever heard o' knockin'?" Jack joked, his face almost as red as his bandana, but his voice shook and he looked like he was ready to bolt any second now.

"Ain't ever heard of not fuckin' in the theatre?"

Then Jack ran.

After Race, who erupted into laughter has he slid out the back entrance of the theatre, Jack hot on his trail.

David sighed, placing the fallen paper and pencil Jack had been using aside as he settled back to properly watch the show.

He felt Spot coming up behind him.

"You ain't gonna chase 'em?"

Spot scoffed.

"I ain't stupid enough to land myself in jail. They'll tire themselves out soon enough."

David laughed and both Brooklyn newsies glanced back towards the show, both silently betting on when their chaotic Manhattan boys would return.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a kiss scene, did it work?
> 
> Blink's "other nickname" is actually a real nickname Kid Blink went by and damn is it cool.
> 
> Shout out to my friend who, after reading this, said "okay i conclude that it is indeed gay as fuck". <3 Ty for reading something you don't even understand the context of, ily.
> 
> Unrelated ramble: I stared at Google Maps for quite a while when writing this and Lower East Manhattan doesn't even cover the Manhattan Bridge, much less the Brooklyn Bridge???? Did Jack just cross into someone's territory to cross into Brooklyn in the movie????? And according to research done by ao3 user kinnoth in 2013, the lodging house isn't even in the Lower East??? It's in Tribeca?? WHICH STILL DOESN'T ENCOMPASS THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE???? And Holy Shit is Spot's territory fuckin' huge in comparison to the others'. 
> 
> Newsies, man. At least this means I don't have to be accurate in my writing if the source material decides to also not be accurate. 
> 
> But the most bullshit thing I found out is that Two Bridges doesn't encompass the Brooklyn Bridge either. IT'S CALLED TWO BRIDGES WHY DOES IT ONLY ENCOMPASS THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE????
> 
> Anyways congrats to Jack because I've decided to resolve this issue by giving him essentially all of Lower Manhattan but still call it Lower East Manhattan because that's apparently what Disney did.
> 
> Speaking of research, http://nineduane.queenitsy.com/index.html and https://newsboys-of-1899.tumblr.com/archive are fantastic historical research sites that also have some newsies context that I found going down a rabbit hole of unnecessary information.
> 
> Anyways, as always, leave a comment and/or kudos if you'd like and thanks in advance if you do.


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